Fish and Wildlife Service - Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

Birding and Heritage Festival

2008 Festival Itinerary - UPDATED 02/27/2008		Please print out a sheet of Calling Cards to help us evaluate our festival.
Festival Itinerary
Most of the festival events occur on the refuge, but many events are held off the refuge, either at the Byron Fish Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area or the Great Salt Plains State Park. Download the map for direction information.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Time	Event	Meeting Place
at dark	Star Gazing with John and Betty Olson - Enter the River Road Campground Entrance, drive to the North Spillway Area (there is a sign). Walk up the steps to the top of the dam and look for the 100 lb telescope!	State Park - North Spillway Area
Evening	""Hope Four" Music Group	Great Salt Plains State Park, Shelter #1
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Time	Event	Meeting Place
All Day	Geo-cache: Follow the geo-cache trail with your GPS. Start at: N36 47' 13.9" W098 10' 53.7"
7:00 am (& 4pm)	Advanced Bird Watching (3 hrs) with Bill Howe - See last year's list!	Refuge Hdqtrs.
8:00 am	Intermediate Bird Watching (4 hrs) with Lloyd & Glenda Leslie	State Park - Shelter #1
8am - 1pm	Flea Market - Shopping outdoors	Cherokee - AEC Park
8am - 4pm	The Refuge Visitor's Center will be open all day. Come in and see our new exhibits, grab a button with the 2008 Winning Artwork on it and learn about the Fish and Wildlife Service.	Refuge Headquarters
8am - 4pm	Byron Fish Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area will feature walk-through bird activities for children. Personnel will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on landscaping for birds and other wildlife.	Byron Fish Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area
8:30 am	Wildlife Photography with Bill Horn (www.birdsofoklahoma.net). Enjoy a presentation about photographing the secretive subjects. Workshop participants will go out onto the refuge to learn.	Refuge Hdqtrs.
9:00 am	Art Exhibit - Paintings, Photography and Sculpture	Cherokee - Courthouse Lawn
9am - 11am	Stop by Sandpiper Trail and get Shorebird Identification tips from Jim Harman. Walk the short trail and see the Salt Flats.	Refuge - Sandpiper Trail
9am - 3pm	Wildlife Art Show - A wildlife art show will premiere this year in Jet. Come and see spectacular photography, wildlife related crafts and more. Interested exhibitors can contact Cactus Gifts at 580-626-4552. Concessions will be sold by Timberlake Senior Parents.	Jet Community Building
9am - 3pm	Goodwin Gallery - Marion Goodwin will have her gallery open on Grand in Cherokee. View southwest artwork from our local artist.	Cherokee - Grand Ave.
10:00 am	Trail Ride begins at the South Horse Trail Lot	Great Salt Plains State Park
10:30 am	Native Plant Walk and Identification (1 hr) with Dr. Paul Nighswonger from NWOSU	Refuge Hdqtrs.
12:30 pm and 2:30 pm	Refuge Management Tour (1 hr) - Take a tour onto closed areas of the refuge to see wildlife management projects. Learn about moist-soil management, prescribed fire and more! Limited Seating - Call (580) 626-4794 for reservations.	Refuge Hdqtrs.
1:30 pm	Eagle Roost Nature Trail Guided Tour (1 hr) - Enjoy the trail with a guide to talk about conservation issues, birds, trees and more!	Refuge Hdqtrs.
1pm - 3pm	Carp Round Up - Catch tagged carp by hand.	Cherokee
1pm - 7pm	"Hope Four" Music Group Karaoke	Great Salt Plains State Park, Shelter #1
1pm - 4pm	Sutton Avian Research Center will have a live Bald Eagle at the refuge and information about re-introduction projects, research and the eagle's life history.	Refuge Hdqtrs.
1pm - 4pm	Stop by Sandpiper Trail and get Shorebird Identification tips from Jim Harman. Walk the short trail and see the Salt Flats.	Refuge - Sandpiper Trail
1pm - 4pm	Reptile Rehabilitation - Tandy Keenan, a biologist and reptile rehabilitator from Texas County, will talk about working with reptiles. Tandy will also demonstrate techniques to identify venomous snakes and spiders. Adults and kids, alike, will enjoy learning about these misunderstood creatures.	Refuge Hdqtrs
1pm - 4pm	Wildlife Rehabilitation - Julie Miller will be here to talk about working with injured animals. Julie is a state and federal licensed rehabber and you can get a preview of her work at her site.	Refuge Hdqtrs
1pm - 4pm	Wildlife Rehabilitation - Local licensed rehabbers, Donna Bingham, Eve Reim, Denise Covarrubias and Tina Pulis will also be here to talk about their work in wildlife rehab.	Refuge Hdqtrs
1pm - 4pm	Falconry Demonstration - Greg Stipp will be here with his falcon to talk about working with raptors and demonstrate the art and science of falconry.	Refuge Hdqtrs.
1pm - 4pm	Duck Identification Demonstration - Biologist Jeff Neal shows the tricks behind identifying ducks by wings - age and sex species.	Refuge Hdqtrs
1pm - 4pm	Ducks Calls - ODWC biologist, Chris Cantellay explains how to use a duck call and why calling works. Come and try out your chops!	Refuge Hdqtrs
1pm - 4pm	Decoy Carving - Wildlife biologist, Kelvin Schoonover shows how to create a decoy that'll cause even the ducks to come for a closer look!	Refuge Hdqtrs
1pm - 4pm	NRCS will have a booth to talk about wetland reserves and the conservation reserve program.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Antler Scoring - Learn how the professionals score antlers and get your antlers scored by biologist, Steve Conraddy.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation will have a booth to talk about law enforcement techniques - come see different methods used to protect Oklahoma's rich wildlife heritage.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Storm Chasing! Mike Jantz will be here with his Storm Chasing vehicle to show how storm chasing works. Jantz works with weather teams around the state - this equipment is a must see for anyone interested in keeping ahead of the storm!	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Music Friends - Live Music! - Enjoy the sounds of Heritage Music played by the Music Friends. Brought together from all over Oklahoma and Kansas, these musicians are great to watch and hear (feel free to dance!).	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Flint Napping Demonstration - John Stahl, The art of flint napping creates beautiful and useful arrowheads - useable even with today's bows.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Primitive Bow Making- John Stahl, Only some pieces of wood are just right to create a primitive bow - these beauties are almost a lost art!	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	FireWise Prescribed Burning- Wichita Mtns. Fire Crew will be here to talk about the benefits of prescription burns for wildlife and how you can be FireWise.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	6th Annual Youth Art Contest - View the winning artwork at the refuge headquarters! Get a souvenir button from the festival with the winning artwork of your choice! View all entries at the Jet Community Building.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Office
1pm - 4pm	Wildlife ID - Learn about mammal tracks, scat and bird tracks	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Trap Shoot ODWC - Enjoy the opportunity to shoot clay targets	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4:00 pm	Youth Archery Contest - Sponsored by the Cherokee Strip Archers, all youth to 18 yrs old are eligible. Age divisions: Cub Class: 12 & Under, Youth Class: 13 & 14 yrs and Young Adult Class: 15 - 18 yrs. Bows will be available to use.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4:00 pm	Youth Casting Contest - Sponsored by the Byron Fish Hatchery - Contestants can bring their own pole or the refuge will provide a pole for them to use. Open to all youth under the age of 18. All equipment provided by refuge.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Hidden Treasures - A Kid's Activity	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Insect Identification & Display - Get an up close look at nature.	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Oklahoma University Archeology Department - "Relics of Oklahoma"	Refuge Hdqtrs - Refuge Lawn
1pm - 4pm	Blacksmithing and Spinning, Re-enacted - Over 100 yrs ago, when Oklahoma was just becoming a state. things were very different. Meet and talk to re-enactors who will demonstrate these age-old techniques.	Great Salt Plains State Park
2:00 apm	Trail Ride begins at the South Horse Trail Lot	Great Salt Plains State Park
Afternoon	Antique Tractor Show	Great Salt Plains State Park
4:00 pm	Advanced Bird Watching with Ron Shepperd (3 hrs)	Refuge Hdqtrs.
5pm - 6pm	Dutch Oven Demonstration - Scott Price will show how you can make great meals outside the kitchen.	Great Salt Plains State Park South Trail Entrance
7pm	Hootenanny - Local talent will be showcased in this production. $5 for adults, $3 for children.	Cherokee High School Auditorium
7pm	Art Appreciation Reception	Cherokee - Goodwin Gallery
7pm - 8pm	"Get a Bat Attitude" - Mike Caywood, Naturalist from Alabaster Caverns State Park, will present an interactive program on the winged mammal - the bat.	Byron Fish Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area
8:15pm	"The Prairie Under Cover of Darkness" - Participate in a guided night walk on the Watchable Wildlife trail. (dress warmly!) (1 1/4 hours).	Byron Fish Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area
at dark	Star Gazing with John and Betty Olson - Enter the River Road Campground Entrance, drive to the North Spillway Area (there is a sign). Walk up the steps to the top of the dam and look for the 100 lb telescope!	State Park - North Spillway Area

Sunday, April 27, 2008
Time	Event	Meeting Place
7:00 am	Advanced Bird Watching with Ron Shepperd (3 hrs)	Refuge Hdqtrs.
8:00 am	Intermediate Bird Watching (4 hrs) with Lloyd and Glenda Leslie	State Park - Shelter #1
8am - 10am	Native Bird Walk at the Byron Fish Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologist, Melynda Hickman. This walk is appropriate for all ages and birding expertise. (Major trail rehab has been done in 2006 - come and see what's new!)	Byron Fish Hatchery Watchable Wildlife Area

Last updated: February 27, 2008